They're not neccessary. They, as well as Xzar/Montaron, are mainly there to help you build a party early on as well as prod you in direction of the main plot.
There actually isn't anyone you have to have to finish the game. Some quests require certain party members, but the game as a whole does not. You could conceivably finish it solo (and some players make that their challenge).
I always take Imoen, and a big part of the BG2 story makes her important; but even then, she isn't actually required.
I actually like making 3-4 characters for a multiplayer game, and then play them through without using any of the NPC's. I like having complete control of the details of my party makeup.
I've probably only played the single player "normal way" a few times since the games original release.
That is one of the beautiful things about Baldur's Gate. You can kill just about anyone, do just about anything, without worrying about the plot being ruined.
That being said, I would definitely try a play through with Khalid and Jaheira since they are considered a part of the canon party (along with Minsc, Imoen, and Dynaheir). They are very well fleshed out.
The game is pefectly playable without them, my current party is CHARNAME (NE female elf fighter/mage), Dorn, Montaron, Viconia, Imoen and Edwin, which for me is the perfect evil party (though Imoen could be swapped for Safana and Dorn for Kagain)
However Jaheira is a useful character, if you off the third wheel, Khalid.
Funny you should say that: I recently killed Jaheira and took in Viconia. I don't need a fighter with healing and summons, I need a healer who also summons. And HEY LOOK AT THAT Viconia comes with magic resistance.
However Jaheira is a useful character, if you off the third wheel, Khalid.
Funny you should say that: I recently killed Jaheira and took in Viconia. I don't need a fighter with healing and summons, I need a healer who also summons. And HEY LOOK AT THAT Viconia comes with magic resistance.
she comes in handier in the follow up than in the first game imo, i do have a soft spot though..
However Jaheira is a useful character, if you off the third wheel, Khalid.
Funny you should say that: I recently killed Jaheira and took in Viconia. I don't need a fighter with healing and summons, I need a healer who also summons. And HEY LOOK AT THAT Viconia comes with magic resistance.
and she has 19 Dex, give her the Ogre Gloves and she's vicious with a sling... (slings get strength damage bonus unlike all other ranged weapons in BGEE...)
@atcDave pretty well summed it up. Personally, I enjoy trying a different ensemble of NPCs with each play-through (I have a few favorites that make the cut more often than others of course). There are STILL some NPCs I haven't tried yet because you get them so late in the game, but I intend to change that soon.
However Jaheira is a useful character, if you off the third wheel, Khalid.
I don't get why people consider Khalid so useless. I've been playing him as an archer in my current playthrough, and he is a beast with the bow, even though he mainly just get hand-me-downs, gear wise, he's like fourth priority. But his thaco blows the rest of the party out of the water, and I've come to depend greatly on him. I'll miss him in BG2.
I find Khalid's whining annoying to the point I can't deal with him. He's not useless. His scores are not impressive, but he has all the advantages one expects from a single class fighter.
Personally, I really like tanks. I pretty much always create a tank of some sort for my primary character. And I think Minsc, Ajantis, Jahiera and Kivan are all better recruitable tanks than Khalid. So even when I'm running a tank heavy party I am unlikely to find a spot for him on my roster (PC tank + 4 better potential recruits = no room for Khalid).
Khalid was with me all the way through my first playthrough, tho Jaheira had an accident and fell on my sword, it was raining and the mud was slippery, i swear :x
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I always take Imoen, and a big part of the BG2 story makes her important; but even then, she isn't actually required.
I've probably only played the single player "normal way" a few times since the games original release.
That being said, I would definitely try a play through with Khalid and Jaheira since they are considered a part of the canon party (along with Minsc, Imoen, and Dynaheir). They are very well fleshed out.
However Jaheira is a useful character, if you off the third wheel, Khalid.
Personally, I really like tanks. I pretty much always create a tank of some sort for my primary character. And I think Minsc, Ajantis, Jahiera and Kivan are all better recruitable tanks than Khalid. So even when I'm running a tank heavy party I am unlikely to find a spot for him on my roster (PC tank + 4 better potential recruits = no room for Khalid).